1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lamp assemblies for light bulbs, and more particularly to a removable assembly for providing a light bulb with the appearance of a different type of light bulb.
2. History of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide a light bulb with a removable assembly so that the light bulb takes on the appearance of a different type of light bulb. Such assemblies may be used, for example, in the case of certain low power bulbs which have become popular in recent years.
Examples of low power bulbs, which have become popular because of their energy saving, include compact fluorescent bulbs. Such bulbs are capable of producing the illumination equivalent of an incandescent bulb having several times their power consumption. Examples of compact fluorescent bulbs include the "Dulux EL", manufactured by Osram Sylvania Inc. of Maybrook, N.Y. Such bulbs are presently available in 7-, 11-, 15-, 18-, 20-, 23-, 25-, 28-, 30- and 32-watt sizes. The 11-watt bulb produces 600 lumens of lumination, as compared with 445 lumens produced by a 40-watt incandescent bulb. Moreover, the 11-watt compact fluorescent bulb typically has a life of 10,000 hours, compared with a 1500-hour life for the incandescent bulb.
Compact fluorescent bulbs therefore represents a tremendous savings in energy costs over the life of the bulbs. However, such bulbs do not always provide a desired or acceptable appearance. In the case of ceiling lights which are mounted in recessed cans, for example, such applications have traditionally utilized floodlights or spotlights to provide a desired appearance in addition to the desired illumination and light distribution pattern. Substitution of compact fluorescent bulbs for floodlight or spotlight bulbs may provide the desired amount of illumination with considerably less power, but at the expense of appearance. For such applications, it would be desirable to provide a removable conversion kit assembly for providing the compact fluorescent bulbs with the desired floodlight, spotlight or other desired appearance. Also, it would be advantageous to provide a conversion kit assembly capable of adjusting the amount of illumination in an easy and simple manner.
Heretofore, it has been known to employ a glass envelope in conjunction with various light bulb arrangements. Thus, it is known to mount an adapter in a ballast or a socket, with a light bulb then being attached to the adapter. A glass envelope is then mounted, such as on the ballast, so as to enclose the lamp and provide the resulting arrangement with a desired appearance. When the lamp burns out, it can be replaced without replacing the adapter which contains the electronic power source. In spite of the economies involved, however, such arrangements have given way to a single, integral compact fluorescent bulb which is simply thrown away and replaced when it burns out.
The compact fluorescent bulbs are particularly attractive as an alternative light source because of their low power consumption, as previously noted. They are particularly attractive in mass lighting situations, such as for use with multiple ceiling lights in both commercial and residential applications. However, the use of such compact fluorescent bulbs results in a less than pleasing, if not unacceptable, appearance in such applications where floodlights or spotlights are typically used.
For this reason, and as previously noted, it would be desirable to provide removable conversion kit assemblies for light bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs so that a desired appearance can be achieved in addition to the advantages of low power consumption and long life provided by such bulbs. In addition, it would be desirable to provide such a conversion kit assembly with the ability to adjust the amount of illumination. Such a conversion kit assembly should interface with the light bulb in such a way as to permit the entire assembly to be installed in and removed from a recessed can fixture or other typical ceiling light fixture using a suction lamp changer from the floor.